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I cannot get my computer to run fast and it keeps telling me my disk space is low. I keep running the disk cleaner but it is not helping very much then it tells me my memory is critically low. How do I fix this?

Slow Computer Woes

When it comes to computers, few things are more frustrating than a slow computer. Well, error messages are close. And so are crashes. And so are viruses. And, guess what? These seemingly unrelated frustrations are often related. Right now your computer is slow and generating low disk space errors. Free disk space doesn’t seem to be doing the trick, and now memory is critically low. Let’s take a look at what could be going on and see if we can’t get your computer back in shape.

Causes of Full Hard Disk 

First, if your hard disk is indeed nearly full, then this will trigger low disk space and critical memory errors as well as result in agonizingly slow performance. The questions at this point would be, “What is filling up the disk?” and “What can be removed?”

Computer viruses and spyware can also fill up a hard disk and gobble up system resources. In fact, one of the most common symptoms of a malware infection is slow performance. Many malware programs actually invite other malware programs onto your computer. It’s not unusual for an infected PC to have hundreds of different spyware programs on the computer! So, this too is a possibility to consider.

Disc Cleanup

Before checking for viruses and spyware, we need to free up a bit more disc space so that you can run a few scans without running into these errors. Go to Start> Programs> Accessories> System Tools> Disc Cleanup. You have already done this a few times, so this time, let’s look beyond the more basic cleanup tasks. For example, instead of accepting the default suggestions such as emptying the Recycle Bin and Downloaded Program Files, look at the list of files that can be deleted with an eye on those that are the largest. One huge file on my own disk is the Hibernation File Cleaner (1.98 GB!). If I needed to free up space, this is one that I would definitely remove (though doing so disables hibernation).

After cleaning up the marked files under Disk Cleanup, click on the More Options tab and clean up all but the most recent restore point and any shadow copies your computer may be storing. Still need more space? Now it’s time to clean up your programs. You can do this from within the More Options tab or separately from the Add and Remove Programs (Programs and Features in Vista) icon in the Control Panel.

Because many computer programs are huge and used only once or twice, remove those that you no longer need. For example, I downloaded Open Office earlier to help a Filetonic.com reader. I don’t need this program, yet it is taking up 336 MB of disk space on my computer. In my case, this would be a good candidate for removal.

Finally, search your disk for large music, photo, and video files. Delete any unimportant photos and videos like e-mail attachments or blurry personal photos. Photos can be several MBs big and videos can measure in the gigabyte range. It doesn’t take long to fill disks with music, images, and videos.

Virus and Spyware Tools  

Now that your disk has a little breathing room, let’s rule out malware. Any of the programs on our antivirus reviews page will do a good job of finding computer viruses. Ideally, you should also check for spyware. Run a complete system scan using updated security software and remove any malicious programs found.

By clearing space and removing malware, your computer’s performance should improve. View our Performance Tips for additional help.

How to Speed up your PC: A Beginners Guide

Is your PC running slow to the point that it has become an annoyance?

Do you find that it takes much longer to complete tasks that would normally take a few minutes ?

Do you find that your PC takes so long to boot up that you have enough time to use the bathroom and get a quick snack?

If this sounds like your situation, here are some steps you can take to speed up your PC.

Disk Defragmenter

First, run the Disk Defragment tool. You’ll need to do this weekly because when you are using the computer on a daily basis, the hard drive becomes fragmented. Fragments of data will disperse in places they don’t belong causing your computer to lag.

In order to run the Disk Defragment tool, you’ll first need to go to the

• Start menu.
• Then, you’ll hit All Programs.
• Look for the Accessories menu.
• Once you’ve found that, scroll down until you see System Tools.
• Under the System Tools menu, you’ll see the Disk De fragment option.
• Click that, and you’ll see the screen pop up that will give you some options.
• You’ll need to click the button that says, “Defragment.”

Once you’ve done this, just let the program run. Don’t touch the computer while it is going through the defragmenting process. Leave it be until the program is finished doing its job.

Disk Clean-up Utility

The second thing you can do to speed up your PC is to run the Disk Clean-up utility.

This utility will clean your hard drive of all temporary files that slow down your PC’s performance. The path that you’ll need to take to get to this is the same as it would be to get to the Disk Defragment tool.

But, if you are confused, follow the same steps outlined above to get to the System Tools menu.

Except for this time, you’d not click on Disk Defragment.

You’ll be clicking on the option that says, “Disk Cleanup.”

Once you’ve done that, the Disk Cleanup utility will scan your system.

Depending on how cluttered your hard drive is, it could take awhile. Once the scanning is completed, a checklist will appear. The most common places that need to be cleaned on the hard drive will be checked by default. It would be a good idea to leave those be if you are a novice computer user and are not sure what you are doing.

But, if you do understand a little more, you could check additional options along with the ones already checked. After you have checked everything you want, hit the button that says, “Okay.”

This will launch the utility, and the process of cleaning up your hard drive will begin. It is important that you do not touch the computer while it is going through this process.

let the program run its course.

Use a good Antispyware tool at least weekly

The third thing you could do is to install and run a spyware cleanup utility.

This will cleanse your hard drive from software and other unwanted programs that could do harm to your computer. Spybot Search & Destroy is one of the most recommended spyware removal programs. Not to mention, it is free. A good commercial-grade malware removal tool is XoftspySE - it’s free to scan your system and if any infections are found (that weren’t removed by the free Spybot), then it may be worth the $30 for this one to clean them out for you. What’s 30 bucks if it means your computer and your personal information is safe, right?

Taking these measures are sure to speed up your PC. You won’t find yourself becoming frustrated to the point of feeling like you want to take a hammer to your computer.

I have an HP (recently new) Professional and just got two, 1GB RAMs installed but for some reason everything is slower, mainly the Internet. I have trouble watching programs on YouTube but it says my computer connection is very good or excellent.

There are two main reasons why the Internet, particularly videos, runs slowly: viruses and your ISP connection. Having trouble with your registry can also slow things down and you should probably run a registry cleaner if that is the suspect cause, but as you said your computer is relatively new, let’s focus on the other two possibilities.

Slow Bandwidth

You don’t say what kind of Internet connection you have, but speed can vary depending on how you connect. Videos and large files will have trouble over a dial-up connection, but should run well with DSL or cable. If you are running with dial-up, it doesn’t matter what kind of computer you have, you’re going to have viewing problems. Consider upgrading if that’s possible.

You can check the speed of your bandwidth at sites like these:

http://www.bandwidthplace.com/ and

http://reviews.cnet.com/internet-speed-test/ . CNet will run a comparison of your bandwidth to other ISP providers. If you find that your bandwidth is slow, you can optimize your Internet connection at Cablenut:

http://cablenut.com/ .

Spyware or Adware

Spyware and adware are programs that are downloaded when you are visiting other websites. They track user activity and can use up your computer’s resources and slow you down. You should be running a good antivirus program regularly, particularly if you spend a lot of time on the Internet.

You can download some good protective software here:

• AdAware
• Spybot
• Paretologic antivirus

Update Flash Player

Most videos, including YouTube run with Adobe Flash Player. If you have an old version, it might not run as well. You can go to the Adobe website and download the latest version here: http://www.adobe.com/shockwave/download/download.cgi?P1_Prod_Version=ShockwaveFlash.

Because your computer is new and it looks like you have plenty of memory, one of these options should help speed up your computer.

. . . I have a 250 GB HDD with a dedicated, separate 750GB HDD for backup of my C: drive. I’m only using 56GB because I have 5 external-Network, 1TB drives.

Most of the documents, music, photos and other stuff (LOTS), is stored on a 1TB Network drive, which is dedicated to backing/imaging the other drive, thereby leaving only applications on C:. BUT my system doesn’t run as fast as it did when I first bought the unit - 3GHz, 4GBs of RAM (Pentium 4, dual core? processor).

I’ve dealt with MSCONFIG, run, runonce (in the registry). I have “UniBlue Power Suite” that cleans the registry, and a few other utilities that are supposed to clean up the system. I am ABSOLUTELY sure that I don’t have a virus. I use Norton SystemWorks 2009, and defrag on a regular basis. My paging file is minimum and maximum 1 1/2 times the ram. In the Norton Defrag software, I set the pagefile.sys to be defragged first (in the center of the drive where it is faster), I’ve also used one of the utilities to defrag the pagefile.sys at boot-up.

Any help would be appreciated.

Maintaining a computer so that it remains in top shape and continues running smoothly is simple once you get a system down. It sounds like you are on target with this for the most part. A brief explanation of the major methods for optimizing speed on a computer is explained below. For your individual needs, the first two strategies might apply.

Computer Speed and Processors

The processor of a computer is the most critical factor when it comes to speed and performance. Keeping up with technology often necessitates the purchase of a new processor. When replacing a processor, it is essential to make sure that it is compatible with the motherboard. The type of processor that you purchase should also match your use of the computer. Check to see if you have the fastest processor available for your motherboard.

Each process that your computer runs uses resources from the processor. If two processes are running and each one is using up 40% of the processor time that equals 80%. Therefore, if you are running multiple processes at the same time and each one uses a large percentage of the processor’s resources, it might be time to upgrade.

Computer Speed and Disk Space: Temporary Files

Freeing up disk space isn’t just about deleted unwanted documents, images, and programs. It’s also about deleting temporary Internet files and temporary files in Windows. In fact, temporary Internet files can take up an excessive amount of space especially if you do a considerable amount of Internet browsing. Each time you visit a web page, the browser caches it to facilitate faster loading of the page should you revisit it. Clearing out the browser cache and all temporary files will increase your computer’s speed. You need to have accessible RAM in order for the computer to retain its processing speed.

Computer Speed: Cleaning up the Disk

It is important to clean up and repair all errors on each drive that you are using. Complete the clean up on one drive at a time. The general path for this is as follows: Start→ All Programs→ Accessories→ System Tools→ Disk Cleanup. Cleaning up the computer allows it to run more efficiently.

Additionally, you should uninstall any software applications that you aren’t using. Empty the recycle bin frequently. Remove optional components and program files that you don’t need or use such as Java applets.

Computer Speed and Detecting and Repairing Errors

The overall speed of a computer is affected negatively by the fragmentation of its disks. Defragging the disk solves this problem by detecting errors and repairing them. Fragmented files lead to longer processing time since the computer must sift through the hard disk to locate all of the pieces of the file so that it can be used.

In addition to using an application to defrag your computer, you can access the disk defragmenter, following this path: Start→ All Programs→ Accessories→ System Tools→ Disk Defragmenter. As the computer performs its tasks, it needs to scroll through every file that you have on the disk until it locates the right one. It’s kind of like cleaning out the sock drawer and mating all of the socks.

Also, you can run the Error Checking Utility to ensure the integrity of the computer’s files. Bad sectors are notorious for running down the performance of computers. Repairing them will restore the computer’s performance to an optimal level.

Follow this path: Start→ My Computer→ Select the Disk→ Properties→ Tools→ Check Now→ Scan for and recover bad sectors→ Start→ Fix the bad sectors that are detected.

Computer Speed and Protection against Spyware

Since Norton SystemWorks 2009 does protect against both viruses and spyware, it does appear that your computer is protected from these forms of malware. Most antivirus/anti-spyware applications use up a lot of resources when they are running. Therefore, running the application to scan your computer at a time when you are not actively using it should prove beneficial in improving the computer’s speed performance.

Our PC Performance area is loaded with articles filled with speed and performance tips. Spend some time there as well; you may find some real gems.

If you are still experiencing trouble with your computer’s speed, you can contact live support at http://www.filetonic.com/support to receive assistance with your problem.

Does Antispyware software affect my PC Performance

The truth is, any software that you install on your computer will, to a certain extent, slow down your computer. The question is which brand of antispyware you’ve installed, how well it plays together with your existing antivirus software (you are using antivirus software, right?), and whether or not your antispyware software stays resident in your memory, scanning for threats, even when you’re not using it.

Through the years I’ve learned that some brands of antispyware software are well-known to be system resource hogs, using up valuable CPU cycles and RAM without necessarily providing you with the best protection. One particularly notable culprit is the antispyware protection that comes with Norton Internet Security, which takes up a massive amount of system resources and tends to be more trouble than it’s worth.

Others are lean and tight, using the barest minimum of resources required to stay on top of things. Both the free and paid versions of AVG’s Antispyware software run light and clean and integrate easily over preexisting antivirus software. I’m a control freak when it comes to programs running in the background, and AVG has always been my antispyware program of choice.

When it comes to keeping your computer running fast, though, what’s more important than the brand of antispyware software is the presence or lack of “real-time” protection. Antispyware programs that constantly monitor your computer and attempt to stop threats in real time tend to use more system resources. “On-demand” antispyware software, which doesn’t do anything until you remember to run a scan, tends to run much lighter and use up less of your computer’s processing power and memory.

My advice: don’t bother with “real-time” protection for antispyware programs unless you’re truly paranoid or, of course, unless you truly have something to hide. The threats posed by spyware are far less severe than those posed by viruses, and if you can remember to scan your computer for spyware once or twice a week, you should be fine - and, depending on your specs, your computer may run noticeably faster.

Remember how speedy your PC used to be?

Ah, those were the days. I know the feeling. It seems as if a month or two into ownership, the speed just fizzles away.

Soon enough, your brand new computer is a slug - just like your old one.

If you stop to think about it though, within the first month, your new PC has had numerous changes including new software installations, downloads, files, shortcuts, and countless tweaks.

If you upgraded to Windows Vista, no doubt you’ve fiddled with the Aero interface and the Sidebar gadgets. You may have picked a cool Windows theme to give your PC a unique look. Do you like all of those cool animated menus in your programs? Guess what? All of these bells and whistles sap speed.

While I’m using Windows Vista as an example, themes, background pictures, fancy menus, shortcuts, running software programs, active desktop content, and animated cursors all add up to lost performance no matter what operating system you are running.

The first order of business if you want to make your PC faster is to reduce unnecessary downloads and of course the eye candy. Go with a simpler interface rather than the Windows Vista Aero interface. You won’t be able to view your open programs in such a “pretty” way but who cares? You lived without Aero long before Vista, right?

Next, reduce the Visual effects such as shadows under menus and animated menus. In Windows Vista, you can do this by going into the Control Panel and choosing Performance Information and Tools and then clicking on Adjust Visual Effects. Click the button labeled Adjust for Performance.

While inside this area, go through each of the tasks listed in the left panel of the screen including: Manage Startup Programs, Adjust Indexing Options, Adjust Power Options, and Open Disk Cleanup Tools. Each of these tasks will help you to squeeze a bit more performance out of your PC.

The Performance Information and Tools section offers numerous steps for Vista users to recover speed from their PCs. This doesn’t mean that earlier Windows users can’t do the same. If you have Windows XP or even a few earlier operating systems, you can manage startup programs by going into the Start button, clicking “run” and typing MSCONFIG. Next, click the Startup Items tab and disable programs that you don’t need to use each time you log on. This alone can make your PC faster! This is because the more programs running, the more memory is used - thus the slower your PC becomes. Use care so that you don’t disable required programs such as anti-virus programs.

Cleaning up the disk is another way to speed your PC. Go to Start >Programs >Accessories >System Tools and then run both the Disk Cleanup utility as well as the Disk Defragmenter.

In addition to the built-in performance tools, consider using a registry cleaning utility such as RegCure to clean up the clutter in your computer’s registry. This clutter sends obsolete or invalid instructions to the operating system which slows everything to a crawl. Get rid of the bottleneck, and you’ll notice a dramatic speed boost.

Finally, make sure that your PC is clean - no viruses, no spyware, no malware. These programs are notorious speed killers.